Bet he knew a few tricks in the bedroom, too. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to sleep with him. Would it? Just once. To get it out of my system, so to speak.
Giving in would be so easy. Still, my brain screamed at me all of the million reasons why it'd be a terrible idea. That was precisely why I had to flee from him.
No way could I resist his charms for long.
“So,” he said, interrupting yet another of my x-rated daydreams. “You decided to take me up on that offer yet?”
“Um, offer?”
“Dinner. Drinks. You said we had some talking to do, I believe.”
“Something tells me it's not the talking you're interested in.”
“You'd be right about that.”
“This is a big deal, you know. It's nearly the first of December. You've barely got a month to find a woman and convince her to marry you.”
He seemed more interested in the melting contents of his slushee cup than the topic of marriage. Well, too bad if he didn't want to listen. I refused to lose grandma's store, so this guy was getting married whether he liked it or not.
“About that.” He stared at the table. “I talked to my attorney. Discussed the contract with my father.”
“And?”
“He said it was signed by me and thus legally binding. Those are the terms if I mean to keep the store.”
“Of course. Why didn't you speak with your attorney before signing the thing?”
“That was five years ago. I didn't even have a lawyer back then,” he muttered. “I wasn't always the wealthy, successful guy you see here today. Before I took over Slicker Image, I was just your average college dropout.”
I didn't know how to respond. He seemed to have more to say about it, but the scowl on his face said now was not the time to go there.
“Besides, what son could have imagined his father would do something so awful? Sneak that stipulation in there without even telling me about it. I never thought he'd stoop so low.”
“I'm sure he just wants the best for you.”
“Too bad. I'm not getting married just to satisfy his whims. If I'm ever gonna do it – which I don't plan to – it'll be on my terms, when I say so.”
“But your store. The land. He's going to take it all.”
He hid his face in his hands. “I know. Losing Slicker Image would be the biggest failure of my life, and I hate failing. If only there was a way to get out of this, or turn it against him somehow.”
I couldn't imagine how the Carrington family operated like this. Seemed like they were perfectly content to scheme and manipulate others no matter how it hurt them.
Pretty much like most rich people I'd known, really.
“I said I would help you,” I told him softly. “If you'll let me. My store's on the line too. Doesn't matter if we're competitors; if you go down, you're taking me with you.”
“Don't see how you can help me.”
He sulked like this when he was really disappointed. It was a side of him I rarely glimpsed; clearly it wasn't a trait he felt proud of.
“We'll think of something. We can come up with a plan.”
“If you'll agree to a date with me, then I accept.”
His sulkiness was suddenly gone, replaced with his trademark devil-may-care grin.
This man was determined, that was for sure. No other guy had ever tried so hard to get me in the sack.
“I don't get it. You've got hundreds of girls to choose from, yet you've been hounding me for years. Most men would have given up by now.”
His phone vibrated on the table. When he reached across to grab it, his hand grazed mine. Something sparked between us, an electric pleasure that I wanted much more of. The look on his face said he felt it, too.
“Sure there's hundreds of girls out there. But you're the one I want most of all.”
“Why?”
“Give me one night, and I'll show you plenty of reasons why.”
I tried to calm my nerves as he checked the message on his phone. Didn't he realize that one night could change everything?
But I didn't say that. Didn't tell him that once he had me, he'd be moving on to other girls the next morning, like all the others. So many times I'd seen him strutting around the city with a new woman on his arm.
We worked across the street from each other. If I was forced to see that every day, I wasn't sure I could handle it.
“My mom says she's about done shopping, so I better go meet her,” he told me.
“Yeah, me too. I left mine in the holiday decor section. If I leave her there any longer, she'll fill a second cart to the brim.”
We crossed the store together. In the electronics section, a young boy was begging his parents for a video game system.
“Kids,” he said, shaking his head. “That could be the reason for this. My mother's chomping at the bit to become a grandma.”
“So's mine. I told her that won't be happening for a long time.” I checked his face for a reaction. “Uh, what about you? Think you'll ever have any?”
“I don't think so. Babies terrify me, and children get on my nerves. I've had more than enough of them at Slicker Image.”
“Maybe it'd be different if it was your own.”
“Could be, but I'd rather not find out.”
An odd feeling of sadness came over me, and I wasn't quite sure why. Didn't have time to think about it, though.
As we approached the womens' clothing aisles, the loud arguing of two ladies could be heard over the
